Chapter 30: Human Nature

After nearly five minutes of delay, it was ultimately Ren Zhong who clarified the matter. Throughout, Wen Lei interjected endlessly, boasting about Ren Zhong’s astonishing talent, while Zheng Tian listened with eyes shining bright.

“Honestly, Wen Lei, you should have kept an eye on Ren Zhong. How could you let him train like that the very first time? It’s reckless. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let you take him for practice.”

But despite her secret delight, Zheng Tian could not resist grumbling as she finished listening.

“I tried to warn him! He wouldn’t listen! Can you really blame me?” Wen Lei continued to protest, feeling wronged.

“I’m blaming you, blaming you, blaming you!” Zheng Tian declared, twisting Wen Lei’s shoulder with playful force as she spoke.

“Enough, both of you. Wen Lei, let me down. I think I can walk now. I’ll go to the bathroom myself,” Ren Zhong interrupted their banter.

Wen Lei seemed to relish the ease of interaction with the team captain, but Ren Zhong sensed a subtle chill beneath the seemingly harmonious atmosphere.

Carefully, Wen Lei helped Ren Zhong to the ground. The moment his feet touched, Ren Zhong’s legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed. Zheng Tian was quick, slipping in from the side to support him by the arm.

She said, “Alright, Wen Lei, go have some snacks. I’ll take Ren Zhong to the bathroom. He can barely stand, don’t let him fall again.”

Ren Zhong thanked her politely. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all, it’s what I should do. You’re the brain of our little team now, our precious gem. If you get hurt, I’d be heartbroken.”

Zheng Tian held tightly to Ren Zhong’s arm, her chest pressed against him. Though petite and not particularly curvy, Ren Zhong could still feel the contours of her body against his arm.

He truly had no strength at the moment, unable to stand properly, so it wasn’t convenient to break away. He let it be. He reflected that, perhaps in these precarious times, distinctions between men and women mattered less; to insist on them might seem out of place.

Once inside the bathroom, Zheng Tian, supporting him with one hand and holding the showerhead with the other, remarked, “Conditions are limited, there’s no bathtub. You’ll have to make do.”

Leaning against the wall, Ren Zhong waved dismissively. “It’s fine. I don’t like bathtubs anyway—they waste water and time.”

Zheng Tian gave a lazy, almost absent-minded hum, then lifted her head slowly, her face seemingly calm but with an undercurrent of anticipation as she looked at Ren Zhong.

“Ren Zhong, the floor gets slippery when wet, and you’re not in great shape. How about I help you wash?”

Ren Zhong’s heart skipped a beat, and he frowned inwardly.

He looked closely at Zheng Tian’s doll-like face. Her expression was casual, as if discussing something as mundane as eating or drinking, but in her gaze something was hidden. She was good at masking her intentions, but the capillaries on her face betrayed her accelerating heartbeat. Her cheeks were flushed.

Ren Zhong replied, “No need. I wouldn’t want to get your clothes wet.”

Zheng Tian responded, “That’s fine, I can just take them off.”

Though Ren Zhong had never been in a relationship, he wasn’t stupid. He sensed something amiss.

“Thank you, Zheng Tian, for your kindness, but it’s really unnecessary. I can manage myself.”

His refusal was firm.

Zheng Tian didn’t press the matter, simply nodded with a childlike innocence. “Alright then, I’ll wait outside. If you need anything, just call me.”

“Thank you.”

Outside the bathroom door, a shadow flickered over Zheng Tian’s face. She gently clenched her fists.

Although Ren Zhong was easygoing, at crucial moments he still kept others at arm’s length. He was not only a census officer, but ambitious, disciplined, and demanding. As a wastelander, she was beneath his notice.

I have to work harder.

I have to climb higher!

…

After bathing, Ren Zhong sat in the courtyard to rest. Zheng Tian gave up the beach chair for him, letting him recline comfortably. On the small table beside the chair, there was a steaming cup of plain tea, which Zheng Tian had asked about while he was bathing. Beside the tea, a stack of sweet pastries lay.

On the whitewashed wall at one side of the courtyard, a projector played images. This projector, a product of Wen Lei’s tinkering from the junk pile, was inferior to Sun Miao’s high-end model, but sufficed, lending a hazy beauty to the scene.

At the moment, a well-made film was being projected. It told the story of a lowly wastelander, saved from death by a passing girl. Through relentless effort, the wastelander challenged higher levels, slew countless void beasts, eventually became a noble citizen, settled in the bustling metropolis, and married the girl who had saved him—daughter of a corporate president—achieving both career and love in a tale almost too beautiful to be real.

The story was as sweet as an endless dream. Though the plot was clichéd, everyone watched with delight.

During the movie, Zheng Tian’s gaze drifted several times, subtly, to Ren Zhong.

Only Ren Zhong watched with a sense of dread.

Once again, he saw the headquarters city of Deep Information Group in the film. This dreamlike, paradise city was like a carrot dangling before the wastelanders, always out of reach. It lured those trapped in the mire to chase blindly after a city they could only glimpse in dreams, separated by an unbridgeable chasm.

Isn’t this chasm something you created?

You give endless hope, only to cruelly extinguish it.

How pitiful!

How hateful!

…

“So, Wen Lei said you’re planning to buy a new vehicle for the team?”

When the movie ended, Ren Zhong asked Zheng Tian, offhandedly.

Zheng Tian grinned, digging out a remote as if presenting a treasure, then had Ou Youning fetch a folder from his backpack.

“Yes! It’s a great deal! A whole vehicle from Origin Star Military Industries—Thunderbolt multifunctional combat vehicle! Level Two military grade! Ninety percent new! The original price is nine hundred credits, but the captain of the team retiring it is a friend of mine, so we got it for six hundred! We poured all our savings into it, but saved three hundred in the process, so it’s definitely worth it! Hehehe, aren’t I amazing?”

Ren Zhong glanced over the folder. He didn’t understand all the technical specs, but the vehicle’s performance was evidently impressive. With this, Zheng Tian’s team would be moving up in the world.

However, the Thunderbolt was smaller than their previous jury-rigged cargo truck, less boxy, and with less passenger space—so there were trade-offs.

Ren Zhong set the folder aside. He didn’t ask why, with six hundred in savings, the team didn’t buy everyone a proper wristwatch.

The reason was simple: compared to the rented watches, except for internet access, the formal ones only increased daily earnings by 0.9 credits, requiring one hundred and twelve days to break even.

But with the new vehicle, the team could access places previously off-limits, hunt void beasts faster, and even break through some Level Two and Three void beast blockades to reach “rich zones” teeming with Level One beasts. The profits would far exceed what the watches could provide.

As for online information? Zheng Tian was a native of Spark Town, as were the others. They were well acquainted with the local intelligence, with only minor gaps.

Their lives were about surviving day to day, not spending a hundred credits on distant dreams and poetry.

With such a comparison, the better deal was obvious.

Of course, Ren Zhong suspected Zheng Tian’s next plan would be to buy a wristwatch soon.

…

A little later, Wen Lei went inside to rest, speeding his recovery. Zheng Tian, Ou Youning, and Bai Feng headed out, saying they had things to take care of.

Only Ren Zhong and Chen Hanyu remained in the courtyard.

As soon as the main gate closed, Chen Hanyu, who had been sitting two meters away on a small stool, stood and moved closer, sitting opposite Ren Zhong.

“Mr. Ren.”

“Is there something you need?” Ren Zhong sat upright, meeting her gaze.

He felt a strange tension. Was this icy, stunningly beautiful girl about to follow Zheng Tian’s lead?

Ren Zhong admitted, if it were only about looks and a striking figure, with all other factors aside, he had no resistance to Chen Hanyu’s appearance. The love of beauty is universal. Beauty, to a certain degree, always lifts the spirit.

But he had no intention of wasting precious early ‘operation’ time on satisfying base desires.

His situation was far more delicate than back in his school days—he truly fit the “cold academic prodigy” label.

“Mr. Ren.” Chen Hanyu hesitated, uncharacteristically shy for the usually reticent ice queen, and Ren Zhong’s sense of danger rose sharply.

The illusion was about to shatter.

Ren Zhong asked, “What is it?”

“I heard from Wen Lei that you lent him twenty contribution points to buy a shield, is that right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Such generosity can sometimes seem naive. I don’t know where you’re really from, but I believe you won’t need to stay in Spark Town for long. Zheng Tian is ambitious, but sometimes reckless. I hope you can return to your rightful place sooner rather than later, Mr. Ren.”

Ren Zhong was taken aback. “Hmm?”

Analysis mode activated.

Chen Hanyu’s words contained a wealth of detail. Ren Zhong deduced several possibilities.

First: Chen Hanyu and Zheng Tian are secretly lovers. She’s jealous and wants to drive him away.

Second: His purchase of grenades and lending money was a display of purchasing power far beyond the town’s residents—a hint of wealth. Chen Hanyu’s warning might be that, regardless of his background, if the profit is high enough and there’s an opportunity without lasting consequences, Zheng Tian might take risks.

Third: Chen Hanyu knows Zheng Tian is problematic and wants to protect Wen Lei.

Fourth: She further overestimates his background, knows Zheng Tian could never reach him, and wishes to protect her from plotting in vain, or being dragged into more dangerous affairs.

Ren Zhong hoped it was at least one of the last three, meaning there was another good person in the world, in a sense.

He simply smiled, both sincerely and insincerely, and said, “You worry too much.”

…

The second night, ten o’clock, in the shared sleep pod.

Though Ren Zhong was seeing the twin moons for the second time in this world, it felt as if ages had passed.

Before drifting into sleep, he thought quietly.

From awakening until now, just thirty hours had gone by, yet he had transformed from an ignorant newcomer into a rising star among mech warriors.

His understanding of the world had gone from nothing to mastery.

I truly am a genius.